December 1997

President William J. Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N. W.
Washington DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,

As military professionals, we are deeply troubled by the growing use of children as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world. As many as 250,000 children, some as young as eight years old, have been recruited, often by force, into government armies or armed rebel groups in over thirty countries.

Children are increasingly both the tools and the casualties of adult hatreds. Over two million children have been killed in armed conflicts during the past decade. Six million have been seriously injured or permanently disabled. Drawn into an alarming cycle of violence, child soldiers both commit and suffer barbaric atrocities.

We are encouraged that the international community is working to eradicate this appalling practice. In 1994, a United Nations working group was established to develop an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which would raise the minimum age for recruitment and participation in armed conflict from 15 to 18 years of age.

The United States is currently in a unique position to ensure the successful conclusion of this essential effort. Last January, after three years of negotiations, consensus was nearly reached to establish 18 as a minimum age for participation in hostilities. Unfortunately, the United States was the only country to reject this position. As a result, negotiations stalled.

US military practices do not differ significantly from the new standards to be established by the optional protocol. While the US currently accepts 17-year olds into its Armed Forces, only a small fraction of our troops are below the age of 18. Also, US military practice already ensures that individuals under 18 are not assigned to combat duties. It seems illogical not to encourage other nations to abide by our de facto observance of an 18 year old combat limit. We can do this only by removing our objection to the optional protocol.

Mr. President, we believe that an agreement establishing 18 as the minimum age for participation in armed conflict reflects the strong desire of the world's nations to set a new international standard for protecting children from the horrors of war. You are the only one who can move the United States to accede to the optional protocol. To do so would be a tribute to your leadership and provide a legacy of your Presidency in which you can take pride.

Sincerely,

Colonel Leslie Ayers, US Army (retired), Sonoma, California
Captain Lowe H. Bibby, US Navy (retired), Kailua, Hawaii
Colonel James B. Burkholder, US Army (retired), Tucson, Arizona
Lt. Colonel Roger F. Carney, US Army (retired), Dudley, Massachusetts
Rear Admiral Eugene J. Carroll, Jr., US Navy (retired), Alexandria, Virginia
Lt. Colonel Vince Collaro-Davila, US Air Force (retired), Readers, Pennsylvania
Commander Beth F. Coye, US Navy (retired), Ashland, Oregon
Commander L.R. Damskey, US Navy Reserve (retired), Calistoga, California
Lieutenant Commander Donald Darling, US Navy (retired), Austin, Texas
Lt. Colonel Mike de Sosa, US Air Force (retired), Otter Rock, Oregon
Major Richard D. Cheatham, US Air Force (retired), Bellingham, Washington
Captain E. G. Dankworth, US Navy (retired), Alameda, California
Lt. Colonel Alan F. Erwin, US Air Force (retired), Ashland, Oregon
Lt. Colonel Wendell P. Garton, US Marine Corps Reserve (retired), Huntsville, Alabama
Captain Russell B. Driver, US Navy Reserve (retired), Hermitage, Tennessee
Lt. Colonel Richard L. Geer, US Air Force (retired), Renton, Washington
Captain David W. Henderson, US Navy (retired), Poway, California
Brigadier General William Lanagan, US Marine Corps (retired), Stonington, Connecticut
Lt. Colonel Dan Mateik, US Air Force (retired), Rancho Pls Verdes, California
Commander Edward M. Johnson, US Navy (retired), Manassas, Virginia
Major General Leonard Johnson, Canadian Armed Forces (retired), Westport, Ontario
Lt. Colonel Irving J. Kern, US Army (retired), La Jolla, California
Colonel Frederick N. Kisbany, AUS (retired), Redington Shores, Florida
Captain Sanford N. Levey, US Navy (retired), Clifton, Virginia
Colonel Frederick Nathan, US Army (retired), San Diego, California
Captain Benjamin W. Partridge, US Navy (retired), Takoma Park, Maryland
Colonel J. R. Pitman, US Air Force (retired), Palm Coast, Florida
Commander Douglas S. Murray, US Navy (retired), Virginia Beach, Virginia
Commander John W. Palm, US Navy (retired), Lutz, Florida
Lt. Colonel Vernon M. Stevens, USAR (retired), Salina, Kansas
Lt. Colonel Joshua J. Stanley, USAR (retired), Orinda, California
Captain Geoffrey Thompson, US Navy (retired), San Francisco, California
Colonel Gene Tyner, Sr., US Air Force (retired), Norman, Oklahoma
Lt. Colonel Piers M. Wood, US Army (retired), Falls Church, Virginia
Lt. Colonel Robert F. Woodall, US Air Force (retired), Easton, Maryland
Commander Stanley P. Wronski, US Navy (retired), Okemos, Michigan
Lt. Commander Jack Zarovsky, US Navy Reserve (retired), Boynton Beach, Florida